


Bitter Sweet Symphony

by beggar_always



Category: Firefly
Genre: F/M, Meme, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-28
Updated: 2009-12-28
Packaged: 2017-10-05 09:38:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/40273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beggar_always/pseuds/beggar_always
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>From a Music/Fic Meme. Ten connected "drabbles" set sometime after BDM.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bitter Sweet Symphony

**Author's Note:**

> The rules of the meme:  
> _1\. Pick a character, pairing, or fandom you like.  
> 2\. Turn on your music player and put it on random/shuffle.  
> 3\. Write a drabble/ficlet related to each song that plays. You only have the time frame of the song to finish the drabble; you start when the song starts, and stop when it's over. No lingering afterwards!  
> 4\. Do ten of these, then post them._
> 
> All ten of these "drabbles" are connected and can probably be seen to take place sometime after the movie _Serenity_. Section titles taken from the songs that served as inspiration.

****

\--Bitter Sweet Symphony--

He'd never had the desire to be a good man. His mother had loved him and tried to bring him up right, but being the oldest of six on a struggling colony planet with no father to speak of had made it hard to keep to the good his mother had wanted for him. There were just too many mouths to feed.

So it was a surprise to Jayne when he got a powerful need to be _something more_.

He blamed the Witch Girl. She was always watching him; judging him with just a tilt of her addled head.

"You can change, you know," she whispered in his ear one night. She'd darted off, out of what he'd thought had been a completely empty common room.

Jayne was a bad man. Not bad like Mal, who still had a good heart. Jayne was all malice. Things were _Things_ and Jayne would kill to get more for himself.

But River was floating around the edges whenever he cleaned his guns, whenever he lifted weights, whenever he did anything anymore, really.

"I'm not the same," she told him proudly one day in the middle of the cargo bay. "We can change."

Her smile made him want to try to be the man his mother had always wanted.

****

\--Tooth And Nail--

She runs to him, crying, one afternoon. He drops the crate he's moving to let her hug him tightly.

"What's wrong girl?" he grunts, awkwardly patting at her back. He's gotten used to her touching him; hugging him. He's just not quite used to touching _her_.

"They say you're not good enough," she whispers into his chest. Jayne frowns; 'cause he knows he ain't, and he can't figure out why that bothers the girl in his arms. "Simon said no." Jayne's frown deepens because now he has no clue what the hell River's sayin'.

"Get the hell away from my sister!" The doctor's suddenly there and yelling. Jayne sees Mal behind him. River tightens her hold on Jayne and Jayne instinctively pulls her closer. He doesn't know what he's about to fight for, but he knows he's not lettin' her go 'til _she_ wants it.

****

\--1812 Overture--

She's beautiful. He realizes it for the first time as he lies bleeding on the floor of a crumbling barn.

It's his fault, he thinks. He'd heard someone yell "Reavers!" and all sense had left him. Not that he has much sense most days; but tell him Reavers is near and he's a total loss.

So instead of grabbing the girl and running back to Serenity like a good little mercenary, he'd grabbed the girl and run in the opposite direction, looking for shelter.

It didn't take long for the Reavers to find them. Not much longer before one had managed to cut him good across his belly. He'd fallen to the dirt floor, resigned to dyin' messy, when he looked over and found the Beauty.

He's known for awhile River wasn't quite the weak, young thing she looks like. He's seen her take down grown men. He'd seen the results of what had happened the last time the girl had been alone in a room full of Reavers. He's just never seen her like _this_.

Jayne don't know a gorram thing 'bout dancin', but he _knows_ that's what River's doing. Her blade's singing a tune that's set her a rhythm as she slides it in and out of the bodies rushing toward her.

Jayne thinks it used to be loud in the barn. Reavers have a way of screamin' that can scare a man to death. But watching her, Jayne feels like the rest of the world has dropped away.

He blinks as the last body falls. River's standing in the middle, arm still raised in preparation for an attack. She's breathin' heavy and Jayne don't think she's even in her own little head.

"River?" he croaks. Her name's not one he says often, but he thinks he needs to say it now.

She turns her head to look at him and suddenly she's next to him, bending over him and crying.

"There's blood," she whispers down to him. "Not mine; not mine. But on my dress."

Jayne's never been good with women. 'Least not one's he's not payin'. But he gives it a try, reaching up a hand to pat her arm.

"S'alright girl," he tells her gently. "It'll wash." She gives him a smile and Jayne decides she's not beautiful after all. She's so much more. All he wants to do is touch her again so he does, his palm rough against her soft cheek.

River turns her head to kiss his skin lightly before she looks down at him again.

"She has to go but she's afraid to leave him," he hears her say. He gives her a weak smile and let's his hand drop to the ground.

"He'll be here when she gets back," he tells her. He's too lightheaded to care much he's sounding just like her.

He figures it's the bloodloss 'cause there ain't no way her lips touch his before she disappears out the door.

****

\--Owen's Theme--

It was a mess tryin' to understand the girl. She'd come runnin' up to the ship, covered in blood and crying her eyes out. Mal had been on the ramp, waiting to see if she and Jayne would make it back to the ship, or if the Reavers would get to them first.

"He's hurt!" she screamed, grabbing onto her captain's arms. "He's hurt and she didn't want to leave him but he needs her brother!" Mal tried to calm her. She'd been calmer since the broadcast. But now she's all kinds of hysterical and Mal's grateful to hear Simon already running up behind him.

"I think Jayne's hurt," Mal said as Simon tried to calm his sister. He saw the doctor tense; Simon had little love for the mercenary.

"Can you take us to him, mei mei?" he asked his sister anyway.

****

\--All I Want--

Jayne was no longer confined to his bunk, but that didn't mean much. Just meant he could sit on his ass all day in the common room instead. He'd cleaned all of his guns and had moved on to sharpening his knives. He looked up in time to see River step into the room. Sitting up a little straighter, he gave her a small smile.

She sat on the floor near his feet, regarding him with a tilt of her head.

"I'm going away," she said clearly. Jayne's smile fell.

"W-wha?" he stammered.

"I complicate things," she told him. Girl was talking too plainly for Jayne's liking.

River stood, putting a hand on the top of Jayne's hair for a moment.

"She'll miss you," she whispered. She started to turn, but Jayne grabbed her wrist tightly.

"Don't go," he said quietly, staring up at her. She looked at him in confusion. "Just stay."

****

\--It's a Disaster--

Jayne knew it was going to cause a whole mess of trouble, kissing her. But she was already a mess. A mess that'd asked him to.

Her lips were soft and willing, smiling against his after a moment.

She pulled her face away, her head cocked to one side as she stared at him, smiling.

"This will not end pretty," she whispered, still smiling. Jayne stared at her. She was crazy. But he could never claim that much sanity himself.

His fingers were gentle as they cupped her cheek before pushing on into her hair.

"S'alright," he told her. "It'll be ours."

****

\--White Rabbit--

Gaia was a small planet. It was habitable enough, but for some reason no one had really stuck around for very long. There was only one tiny village, just a handful of families.

It was isolated enough Mal had told them all to do as they pleased; no fear of any trouble.

River had run out of the ship as soon as the ramp was down, laughing happily. Jayne hadn't been able to hide his smile. He was happy as long as she was.

He chased her through the copse of trees near the ship. She let him catch her.

"She's happy," she whispered before she kissed him.

****

\--The Crystal Ship--

He never _tried_ to get shot. Sometimes it just happened.

River was next to him the whole journey from the bar to the ship to the Med Bay. He could see her tears, even as she tried to smile and squeeze his hand and tell him reassuring things.

"It's not even the bad red," she tried to say brightly. Jayne didn't quite know what it meant.

"I have to put him under, mei mei," Simon was saying somewhere nearby.

"Kiss first," she insisted. She bent over Jayne and pressed her lips gently against his. "They'll meet again," she whispered.

****

\--Where Do We Go From Here?--

Jayne stood outside her room, unsure of what he was supposed to do. They'd been foolin' around for going on six months, now. It was entirely new for him. And not just because he let her kiss him on the mouth.

Her door slid open and she smiled up at him. Her hand was so small in his as she pulled him into the room.

"I dunno what we're doin'," he told her. She smiled again and squeezed his hand.

****

\--Fashionably Uninvited--

It'd never mattered to Jayne before. He'd never really expected to want a family; there'd been enough of raising runts with his own younger siblings.

But it's hard to ignore how bright she shines when she plays with the baby in the market. It's a stranger's baby, keeping its mother company as she works a food stall. But River is ten times more beautiful as she smiles at the thing.

Simon gapes at him when Jayne declares his intentions. River is grinning broadly in the background and he's not surprised she already knew.

"I don' mean to take her away from you," Jayne says, because he knows the Tams are a package deal. "But she's been mine awhile. And I think it's time this ship had some young'uns."


End file.
